Preparing our application. Need help please!

[Dime]

Hey guys,

we are preparing for our spousal sponsorship within Canada and I need clarification on certain steps.
Here is our brief story first:
My husband and I dated for almost 6 years and then got our wedding setup for December 2012 in our hometown (India) as most of our family is there.
However before leaving for there, we got married here in Toronto City Hall in October 2012 to get our wedding registered here as we were not going to stay back in India long enough after the wedding to get all that done there.
My sister and 2 of our friends joined us to the City Hall wedding. We didn't exchange rings or take pictures there as we were going to have all the proper ceremonies back home with our families.
We have lots of pictures from our India wedding for each ceremonies.

My question is that the wedding photos that we need to submit, we can submit the India photos? Although our marriage certificate shows us been married here in October (as I said it was just for registration purposes)
Should we write an explanation letter stating that? Any other suggestions on what things to include or don't include in the application?

Additional information:
I came here as a student and then went onto the PGWP. In Sept 2012, I applied immigration under the CEC which I thought will take less time to complete than the spousal sponsorship(as we were going to get married in next 2 months anyways) as I was qualified to apply under CEC. However, CIC refused my application on the basis that one of my job was considered as self employed and they can't consider that towards the 1 years work experience requirement. Hence I am not qualified
Do I regret now that I should have waited few months and applied for spousal instead? Oh yes, I certainly do!
Anyways, not everything is in our control.

Please please give me any valuable tips from your knowledge and experience as to what we should and shouldn't do.
Looking forward.
Thanks in advance

 

[Isometry]

Definitely submit the India photos as well as an explanation. The photos will show that your families were there, know about the marriage, support you and were celebrating with you, which is important. The explanation is needed to show why the "wedding" photos were taken in India when the marriage itself was done in Toronto.

Doing it this way should be fine. Many couples submitting these applications do the wedding legalities separately from the wedding ceremony/party for pretty much the same reasons.

When putting your application together, try to look at it from an outside point of view. Have a friend review it if you can. Make sure to explain anything that might seem unusual or that might seem like a discrepancy--in most cases, one or two sentences will do. It's way better to explain everything up front than to have them question it later.

 

[Dime]

Thanks a lot Isometry! Much appreciated your response.

How can we send the wedding photographs. I have hundereds of them (soft copy).
Can we do it in MS Word - color print?
Is there any preferred or better way of doing it?
Is any limit on how may photographs can we send?

We also have some photographs years before our marriage when we were dating. Should we attach those as well?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Thanks a lot Isometry! Much appreciated your response.

How can we send the wedding photographs. I have hundereds of them (soft copy).
Can we do it in MS Word - color print?
Is there any preferred or better way of doing it?
Is any limit on how may photographs can we send?

We also have some photographs years before our marriage when we were dating. Should we attach those as well?

Putting the photos into Word is a good way of organizing them. Though there isn't a limit on how many photos you can send, it isn't necessary to send hundreds. Keep "quality over quantity" in mind. For your wedding, simply pick the best ones that highlight the day, ie. a few of you guys together, with your families, a pic of all the guests and the key moments of the ceremony.

You should also include some photos from when you were dating. As with the wedding photos, choose the ones that best highlight your relationship, no need to send hundreds.